Reversible folding spring-seat.



A. E. WICKLUND &J. B. GROBEY. REVERSIBLE FOLDING SPRING SEAT.

APPLICATION FILED JUL! 14. I916.

Patented Mar. 27, 1917.

Witnesses eas PATENT @FFTCE.

ANTON IE. WICKLUND AND JAMES B. GBOBEY, OF MIDDLE RIVER, MINNESOTA,ASSIGN- ORS OF ONE-THIRD TO IRA C. RICHARDSON, OF THIEF RIVER FALLS,MINNESOTA.

REVERSIBLE FOLDING SPRING-SEAT.

Application filed July 14,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ANTON E. VICK- LUND and JAMEs B. GRoBnY, citizensof the United States, residing at Middle River, in the county ofMarshall, State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful ReversibleFolding Spring-Seat, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention appertains genan improvement over the folding seatdisclosed in our Patent No. 1,052,299 granted February 4, 1913.

It is the object of the invention to prov vide a seat structureembodying a novel and improved reversible means for supportingSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 27, 1917.

1916. Serial No. 109,329.

The seat 1 is constructed of wood or other suitable material, and isprovided with a back composed of a longitudinal bar 2 having its lowerend hinged, as at 3, upon the seat 1 adjacent the rear edge thereof, anda bar 4 above and parallel with the bar 2 and attached thereto by meansof connecting strips 5. The bars 2 and 4 can be constructed of wood,while the strips 5 are constructerally to vehicle seats, and ispartlcularly ed of metal. In order to hold the back in raised position,a spring catch 6 is attached to the rear side of the bar 2, and isengageable with a keeper 7 secured upon the seat in rear of the back.WVhen the catch 6 is r lreleased from the keeper, the back can be jswungonto the seat, and when the back is the seat either above the wagon boxorig iilraised, the catch 6 in engaging the keeper within the same, theseat in either case beingffw will hold the back firmly in place. Endyieldably or resiliently supported for thefig plates 8 are hinged, as at9, upon the seat comfort of the person or persons seated on. the seat. 7

% adjacent the ends thereof, and are adapted to be swung inwardly uponthe seat to It is also the object of the invention to glie underneaththe back when the back is provide a seat construction of the nature in-.

dicated which can be compactly folded when not in use, in order that itcan be readily stored or carried.

A further object of the invention is to provide a seat constructionhaving the characteristics indicated and which is comparatively simple,strong and inexpensive in construction, and which will be thoroughlypractical, convenient and efficient in use.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appearas thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in'the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within thescope of what is claimedwithout departing from the spirit of theinvention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein':-

Figure 1 is a rear view of the seat in its elevated position.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the seat.

Fig. 3 is a fragmental detail illustrating the seat in its loweredposition as when hung within a wagon box.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the H of Fig. 3.

swung forwardly and downwardly, to thus provide a compact arrangement.The end plates 8 are connected by chains or other flexible connections10 with the ends of the bar 4, whereby when the back is swung upwardly,the chains 10 will swing the free portions of the plates upwardly,whereby to facilitate the unfolding of the parts.

The supporting means for the seat include a pair of transverse plates 11bolted or otherwise secured to the lower surface of the seat 1 adjacentthe ends thereof, and each of said plates is provided with a pair ofupwardly projecting rigid hangers or arms 12 adjacent and projectingabove the end of the seat, and the upper ends of the hangers 12 havebifurcated eyes or bearings 13. The hangers 12 are arranged adjacent theforward and rear edges of the seat, and a pair of supporting bars 14 isprovided at each end of the seat. Certain ends of the bars 14 arepivotally mounted within the eyes or bearings 18 by means of pivot bolts15, whereby said supporting bars 14 can be swung upwardly and downwardlyaround the ends of the seat.

The supporting bars 14 are provided with means whereby they can beapplied to the sides of a wagon box or vehicle body in either adownwardly projecting or an upwardly projecting position. Thus, eachsupporting bar 14, which is preferably cast or forged from suitablemetal, is provided with an integral tongue 16 parallel and approximatelycoextensive in length therewith, and with a second tongue 17 integralwith the bar 14 and parallel therewith. The basal portion of the tongue16 is united with the bar 14 adjacent the pivoted end thereof, and thetongue 17 is united with the bar adjacent the free end thereof, the twotongues being disposed at the opposite sides of the bar 14 andprojecting in opposite directions. Thus, the tongue 16 projects from thepivoted toward the free end of the bar, while the tongue 17 projectsfrom the free end of the bar toward the pivoted end thereof, and thetongue 17 is shorter than the bar 14 whereby the tongue 17 can swing under the seat 1 when the bar 14 is swung downwardly. The tongues 16 and17 provide oppositely extending or reversed hooks for U-shaped portionshaving the common limb 14. Thus, the bar 14 forms with the tongue 16 ahook or U-shaped portion which is open at the free end of the bar 14,and said bar forms with the tongue 17 a reversely disposed hook orU-shaped portion which opens toward the pivot of the bar. The edges ofthe bar 14 and tongue 17 are provided adjacent the basal end of saidtongue and the pivoted end of the bar with curved lips or flanges 18providing a socket. in which a co1led wire expansion sprmg 2O isseated,and the edges of the bar 14 and tongue 17 are provided adjacent thebasal portion of the tongue 17 and the free end of the bar 14 withsimilar curved lips or flanges 19 providing a socket in which a secondshorter coiled expansion spring 23 is seated. Plates or seat members 22and 23 are provided against which the free ends of the springs bear. Theplates are provided at their remote ends with slots 24 through which therespective tongues 16 and 17 project, and said plates are provided attheir adjacent ends with T-shaped slots or recesses 25 slidably engagingthe bar 14, whereby said plates are slidable longitudinally at theopposite sides of the bar and between the bar and tongues. The plate 22is moved away from the pivot of the bar 14 by the spring 20, and theplate 23 is moved toward the pivot of said bar by the spring 21, andsaid plates have studs 26 upon which the respective ends of the springsare fitted.

In order to hold the supporting bars 14 firmly in place when they areswung to downwardly projecting position, as seen in Fig. 1, resilientcatches 27 are attached to the bottom of the seat or to the lowersurfaces of the plates 11 and project toward the ends of the seat toengage the ends of the tongues 17, whereby to hold the bars 14 indownwardly projecting position, and to prevent the vibration of saidbars 14 and seat 1 relatively to one another in the elevated position ofthe seat.

When the structure is not in use, the plates 8 can be swung onto theseat 1, and the back can then be swung onto the seat and plates 8, afterwhich the supporting members can be swung upwardly and inwardly onto theback, thus bringing the parts within small compass in order that thestructure can be readily stored or carried. To apply the seatto thesides 28 of the wagon box or vehicle body, the parts can be readilyswung into place, and if it is desired to support the seat 1 in elevatedposition, as seen in Fig. 1, the supporting bars or members 14 are swungdownwardly whereby the said bars 14 together with the tongues 16straddle the upper edges of the sides 28 with the plates 22 resting uponthe upper edges of sides. The bars 14 and tongues 16 provide invertedU-shaped guides straddling the sides of the wagon box and movablevertically relatively to the plates 22. Thus, the weight carried by theseat 1 depresses the bars 14 and therefore compresses the springs 20,whereby the seat will be resiliently supported. The bars 14 are heldfirmly in place by means of the catches 27' which engage the ends of-thetongues 17 in this position of the structure.

When it is desired to hang the seat within the wagon box, as in coldweather to protect the occupant or occupants from winds, the bars 14 areswung to upwardly projecting position, as seen in Fig. 3, which reversessaid bars so that the U-shaped portions provided by the bars 14 andtongues 17 are arranged to straddle the upper edges of the sides 28 ofthe wagon box with the plates 23 seating upon said'upper edges. In thisposition of the structure, the bars 14 provide hangers for suspendingthe seat within the wagon box, and said bars or hangers 14 are movabledownwardly, which will compress the springs 21. V In this position ofthe parts, the springs 21 resiliently support the bars 14 and seat.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A seat, supporting members pivotally connected therewith to be swungto downwardly and upwardly projecting positions and having reversedU-shaped portions to straddle the sides of a vehicle body in eitherposition of said members, and spring means within said portions seatingagainst the closed ends thereof and seatable upon the sides of a vehiclebody for yieldably supporting said members in either position thereof.

2. A seat, supporting members pivotally connected therewith to be swungto downwardly and upwardly projecting positions and having reversedU-shaped portions to v away from the pivoted ends thereof and providingreversed U-shaped portions to straddle the sides of a vehicle body ineither position of said bars, said bars and tongues having sockets atthe basal portions of said tongues, and expansion springs seated in saidsockets.

4. A seat, supporting bars pivotally connected with the ends thereof tobe swung to upwardly and downwardly projecting positions, said barshaving tongues upon opposite sides thereof projecting toward and awayfrom the pivoted ends thereof and providing reversed U-shaped portionsto straddle the sides of a vehicle body in either position of said bars,plates slidably engaging said bars and tongues, and expansion springsdisposed between said plates and the basal portions of said tongues.

5. A seat, supporting bars pivotally connected with the ends thereof tobe swung to upwardly and downwardly projecting positions said barshaving tongues upon opposite sides thereof projecting toward and awayfrom the pivoted ends thereof and providing reversed U-shaped portionsto straddle the sides of a vehiclebody in either position of said bars,the bars and tongues having sockets at the basal ends of the tonguesplates having slots engaging the tongues and having T-shaped slotsengaging the bars, and coiled expansion springs seated in said socketsand bearing against said plates.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have heretoaifixed our sig natures in the presence of two witnesses.

ANTON E. WIGKLUND. JAMES B. GROBEY. Witnesses:

A. O. Kmnnns, IRA G. RICHARDSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D43.

